Taking an Ecosystem Approach to Climate Change Adaptation

1
Taking an Ecosystem Approach to Climate Change
Adaptation

• 2nd Alliance of Small Island States Workshop on
  Climate Change Negotiations, Strategy and
  Management,
• Apia, Samoa, 31 July 3 August 2000

2
Setting the Scene

• Until recently, mitigation has been the primary
  focus of FCCC, not adaptation
• Increasing attention to adaptation because of the
  commitment to climate change
• New impetus in the policy process
• CDM adaptation fund
• Buenos Aires Plan of Action

3
What is adaptation?

• Aim is to reduce vulnerability to climate change,
  by either
• minimising exposure or
• maximising adaptive capacity.
• Anticipatory vs. reactive adaptation
• Anticipatory adaptation is implemented before
  impacts of climate change are observed
• Reactive adaptation takes place in response to
  impacts, and seeks to minimise damage or maximise
  newly-arisen opportunities

4
Anticipatory adaptation strategies

• Increasing robustness of infrastructural designs
  (extending range of tolerance)
• Increasing flexibility of vulnerable managed
  systems (changing activities)
• Enhancing adaptability of vulnerable natural
  systems (removing non-climatic stresses)
• Reversing trends that increase vulnerability
  (restrictive zoning, avoiding maladaptation)
• Improving societal awareness and preparedness
  (informing public of risks)

5
What is the ecosystem approach?

• A strategy for maintaining and enhancing
  ecological goods and services, which may become
  increasingly important to society in the face of
  climate change.
• Several principles
• public involvement
• adaptive management
• decentralized management

6
A decision making framework for adaptation

• Potential for conflict between development
  objectives and adaptation needs.
• Adaptation can be conceived as a multi-stage and
  iterative process, involving four basic steps
• Information development and awareness raising
• Planning and design
• Implementation
• Monitoring and evaluation.

7
Adaptation and the ecosystem approach

• No regrets options (integrated coastal zone
  management)
• Actions could be designed relatively quickly
  without waiting for exhaustive adaptation
  assessments
• Adaptive to changing conditions
• Decentralized management to lowest appropriate
  level
• Involves capacity building and public involvement
  

8
Recommendations

• Annex I Parties, IGOs and NGOs can help in the
  following ways
• Devise practical mechanisms for transferring
  information and expertise
• Develop partnerships to develop analytical
  frameworks for adaptation assessment and adaptive
  capacity
• Support community-participation programmes and
  public education campaigns that address the
  causes and consequences of climate change
• Support demonstration projects and capacity
  building that test the ecosystem approach as an
  integral response strategy for climate change